Bhutan is a small landlocked country to the north-east of India,
which has maintained a good political relationship with the UK
since the early 20th Century. In 2006, a survey1
indicated that Bhutan was the happiest country in Asia and eighth
happiest in the world. Yet, this country does not grant any kind of
freedom to Christians.

Approximately one-third the size of England, Bhutan has a
population of 770,000 people. The majority are Buddhist and there
is a significant Hindu minority. While there are a few Christians,
they cannot practise their faith or even identify themselves as
Christians. Dzongkha, the national language, is widely understood,
but more than two dozen languages are also spoken.

Formerly an absolute monarchy, Bhutan became a
constitutional monarchy under theDruk Gyalpo (Dragon King),Jigme
Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, and held its first election in 2008. The
monarch can be impeached by a two-thirds majority of the elected
representatives, but there has never been reason to do so. The king
is benevolent to the people and they worship him as a demi-god.
Every household, institution, office and even temple displays his
picture prominently, and with great reverence.

Bhutan is an ancient country, although the exact details of its
history are difficult to trace. Outsiders have been given little
access to this remote country because of the difficulty in
travelling there. Consequently, few external records exist and most
of the internal historical records were lost in 1827 when a fire
destroyed Thimphu, its capital. In spite of this, we know that
early in Bhutanese history people were Animists. In the 7th
Century, Songstan Gampo, the king of Tibet, extended Buddhism into
Bhutan and Sikkim, which lies between Bhutan and Nepal. The king
converted to Buddhism and spread his new faith with great zeal,
constructing a Buddhist temple in Bhutan. Since then, Buddhism has
dominated the country and little space for other religions has been
allowed. However, Hinduism has made inroads due to Bhutan's close
proximity to India and significant trade between the two
countries.

Christian Faith in Bhutan

According to official figures, Bhutan's population comprises 84%
Buddhist, 11.4% Hindu, 3.4% Animist and 0.3% Christian. Some
estimates suggest that there are around 10,000 Christians among
Bhutan's 770,000 people, while others suggest a larger figure of
70,000, but this is unlikely. At present, Christians cannot openly
profess or practise their religion. Of the Christian population, it
is estimated that 1,000 are Roman Catholics and the rest have a
Protestant background, although not all of them are
evangelical.

Being situated in such an isolated region, with hundreds of
kilometres of unnavigable and hilly terrain, few Christian
missionaries or agencies were able to reach the country until the
1600s. The first were Jesuit, who ended up in Bhutan while looking
for alternative routes to their Tibetan mission station. The
ruler-priest of the country received them warmly, encouraged them
to stay and even helped them to build a church-like structure.
However, after eight months of outreach, not a single Bhutanese had
converted; they abandoned the work and left for their original
destination of Tibet.

In the 1900s, Pentecostal groups started distributing tracts
through individuals and postal evangelisation programmes. This
brought many to Christ who now gather privately; most of these
congregations identify themselves as Pentecostals. However, it
seems that there is a group, of less than 1,000 Christians, who are
non-denominational in their outlook. Contact with this group could
be helpful to encourage an active and vibrant assembly-testimony in
the country. However, if such a work was to commence, a substantial
amount of resources and support would be required. India is the
only nearby country in which an assembly-based missionary force
exists that could access the isolated Bhutanese.

Opposition To Christian Faith

Although one of the ruler-priests welcomed the Roman Catholic
missionaries in the 1600s, rulers have tended to oppose all
religions other than Buddhism and Hinduism. The benevolence towards
Hinduism is because Buddhism and Hinduism have always enjoyed some
kinship, in spite of their mutual opposition. The government has
repeatedly refused to recognise Christianity as an acceptable
religion. Requests to allow churches to register and function have
been denied. As a result, there is no official church, Christian
organisation, or other openly identifiable Christian entity in
Bhutan. It has been reported that the Christians have to bury their
dead either deep in unidentified forests, or in Indian border
towns.

Christians are not accepted within the community and there is
discrimination in every sphere of life. Those who live in the more
remote areas particularly suffer because of this. It is illegal to
preach the gospel or lead people to Christ. Charges of
proselytisation attract immediate imprisonment and punitive action.
As a result, Bhutan is ranked as the 31st worst country in the
world for Christian persecution. Leaders and preachers are arrested
from time to time, but this is not publicised by the Christian
community for fear of further reprisals.

Bhutan has good diplomatic relations with more than 50 other
countries and particularly strong ties with India, which assists
Bhutan with military training. Citizens of Bhutan and India can
travel between the two countries using their identity cards; no
passport or visa is required. However, the constitutional or
religious freedoms in Bhutan are different to that of India. This
should motivate Christians to pray with concern for Bhutan, as its
people could be the key to the evangelisation of Sikkim, Tibet, and
southern parts of China, where there is a large unreached
population. These landlocked regions are so isolated from the rest
of the world that only the active witness of local people, who are
familiar with the languages and customs, can effectively reach
these people with the gospel.